That is why i mentioned the LM 210ia as well. 8 w/channel with 300Bs. A guy about 2 hours away has one available at the moment. It is more power than I would need surely. Tonally, Im clueless how it would compare to the 219 or 508 of course.
Line Magnetic 219ia vs Mc225
I am currently changing things up my system. I am looking to purchase a tube amp and have narrowed down quite a bit. I am unsure however, whether it would be more wise to go with a SET design or a push-pull design. The two amps in particular that I have in mind are either a Line Magnetic 210ia or 219ia SET 845/300B amplifier, or a vintage mc225 push pull amp with 7591 tubes of course. I waved the idea of a primaluna around but am pretty set on the two amps I’ve mentioned.. More will be familiar with the mc225 than will be with the line magnetic, but they get stupendous reviews and feedback, placing them as some of the best out there, next to shindo etc., in the tube amp world. The 225 obviously has its cult following as well, and is renowned and said by many to be maybe the best Mac amp of all time. (doesn’t matter)... anyway..
I am predominantly a record listener, but also listen to some digital and CD. My source pieces consist of a VPI Classic 2 turntable with a Soundsmith Zephyr 2 cartridge, an OPPO 105, and a Marantz 7701 preamp/ phono stage.
I have sold my previous speakers, and will be picking up a pair of 60’s vertical cornwalls this week. 102db obviously means that i do not have to consider wattage as a factor at all. I listen at low to moderate levels generally. Even 2 watts will have the cornwalls blaring. At this point the consideration is quality of wattage and current. The current will be responsible on the power to drive the 15" bass drivers in the cornwalls way more so than the wattage. The line magnetic SET amps will have no issues driving my speakers as they have large quality made transformers and move tons of current.
Here is the thing. I listen to jazz, classical cello and bass arco works, etc etc. I like soft rock as well. I also listen to very aggressive forms of rock. Hardcore, metal, thrash/speed metal, power violence, sludge, crust punk, etc etc. Those familiar, know what i mean. I am unsure on whether to go with a SET amp or PUSH PULL. Will one suit me better, or does it not necessarily matter, and either should do just fine? I know that the mc225 is known for being tubey, however natural, tight low end etc. The 219ia is known for being extremely transparent, refined, with a bold tight low end, beautiful 300B midrange, etc. Read Steve Huff’s review of this amp if you are unfamiliar. He calls it just about the best amp he has ever heard..... However will it does for the heavier stuff i listen to? This music is listened to on LP form more than less, and is recorded well and many are analog recordings.
Any input by those familiar with these two amps OR with push pull/SET amp comparisons in their own setups, please chime it with advice. I do appreciate it!
I am predominantly a record listener, but also listen to some digital and CD. My source pieces consist of a VPI Classic 2 turntable with a Soundsmith Zephyr 2 cartridge, an OPPO 105, and a Marantz 7701 preamp/ phono stage.
I have sold my previous speakers, and will be picking up a pair of 60’s vertical cornwalls this week. 102db obviously means that i do not have to consider wattage as a factor at all. I listen at low to moderate levels generally. Even 2 watts will have the cornwalls blaring. At this point the consideration is quality of wattage and current. The current will be responsible on the power to drive the 15" bass drivers in the cornwalls way more so than the wattage. The line magnetic SET amps will have no issues driving my speakers as they have large quality made transformers and move tons of current.
Here is the thing. I listen to jazz, classical cello and bass arco works, etc etc. I like soft rock as well. I also listen to very aggressive forms of rock. Hardcore, metal, thrash/speed metal, power violence, sludge, crust punk, etc etc. Those familiar, know what i mean. I am unsure on whether to go with a SET amp or PUSH PULL. Will one suit me better, or does it not necessarily matter, and either should do just fine? I know that the mc225 is known for being tubey, however natural, tight low end etc. The 219ia is known for being extremely transparent, refined, with a bold tight low end, beautiful 300B midrange, etc. Read Steve Huff’s review of this amp if you are unfamiliar. He calls it just about the best amp he has ever heard..... However will it does for the heavier stuff i listen to? This music is listened to on LP form more than less, and is recorded well and many are analog recordings.
Any input by those familiar with these two amps OR with push pull/SET amp comparisons in their own setups, please chime it with advice. I do appreciate it!
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- 251 posts total
I have sold my previous speakers, and will be picking up a pair of 60’s vertical cornwalls this week. 102db obviously means that i do not have to consider wattage as a factor at all. I listen at low to moderate levels generally.A further point in regard to the possibility of amplifier gain and noise issues arising with this speaker. The presently produced Cornwall III is spec’d at 102 db/2.83 volts/1 meter/"8 ohms compatible," which if the 8 ohm figure is reasonably accurate corresponds to 102 db/1 watt/1 meter. But I suspect that the speaker in question is the first of the two versions of the Cornwall II that were produced, which several online sources indicate was spec’d at 98.5 db/1 watt/4 feet. That corresponds to 100.2 db/1 watt/1 meter, rather than 102 db. So that 2 db difference will be at least slightly helpful with respect to the possibility of gain and noise issues arising with the chosen amplifier. Also, this paper may be of interest. Although note that the test results it presents are for the second version of the Cornwall II, that was introduced ca. 1981. Good luck. Regards, -- Al |
One more point I would add relates to the impedance plot for the later version Cornwall II that is shown on page 12 (pdf page 14) of the paper I referenced in my previous post. It can be seen that the impedance varies from around 5 or 6 ohms in much of the bass and mid-bass regions, to more than 20 ohms throughout most of the upper mid-range/lower treble regions, and to as much as 75 ohms in parts of that region. Given the relatively high effective output impedance of nearly all tube amps, and the wide variation of effective output impedance among different tube amps, what that means (assuming the earlier Cornwall II has similar impedance characteristics) is that interactions between amplifier output impedance and the speaker’s impedance variations over the frequency range will very likely cause a given tube amp to sound significantly different with this particular speaker than with many other speakers, that have significantly different impedance variations. I have made that point in a number of other threads in the past, with respect to other proposed amp/speaker combinations, but I would expect it to be particularly true in this case. And the author of the paper makes similar points on pages 19-22 (pdf pages 21-24). So that is a particularly important reason why if at all possible it would be desirable to audition the candidate amp(s) with the specific speakers you will be using. The amp's intrinsic sonic character is only a part of the story. Good luck. Regards, -- Al |
As mentioned above, I just listened to a line magnetic 216 through la scalas 2 weeks ago. It was dead quiet. 90% of ppl running cornwalls, and there is a tremendous amount individuals running them, run them with tube amps. There are hundreds of members on the klipsch boards running all sorts of pp and set amps with their cornwalls, without any unattractive and avoidable additional characteristics. |
- 251 posts total